“In general, we’re happy with the level of meetings that have taken place,” Dizayee stated, “and we hope that in future years, there will be more participation of the Kurdistan Region so that we would be able, in our own contacts and meetings, to present our case.”
Responding to a question from Kurdistan 24 about religious freedom, which is a high priority of the Trump administration, Dizayee explained that most of the religious minority communities in the Nineveh Plains, who were targeted for persecution by the Islamic State, fled to the Kurdistan Region, and they are residing now in Kurdistan.
READ MORE: US Envoy hails religious tolerance of Kurds, stresses need for Peshmerga, ISF security coordination
Dizayee noted there had been a conference on religious tolerance in Abu Dhabi in February which was sponsored by the office of the US Vice-President, Mike Pence, and the United Arab Emirates.
“We participated in that meeting,” he explained, and we “highlighted” our “tradition and culture and heritage” of “co-existence and peace” among “religious and ethnic groups living together in Kurdistan.”
Dizayee also explained that the Iraqi delegation was scheduled to have meetings with the presidents of Iran and Turkey. “Hopefully, in these meetings, there will be more understanding about the concerns that all countries have over certain issues,” he stated most diplomatically.
Editing by Nadia Riva